The present invention is directed to bicycle control devices and, more particularly, to a bicycle shift control device that has an operating member that moves in a shift operating direction and in a direction other than a shift operating direction.
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle, especially the bicycle control devices used for performing shifting and braking operations.
Typically, bicycle shift control devices mechanically operate derailleurs via cables, and bicycle brake control devices mechanically operate brake devices via cables. In either case, an operating force is typically applied by one of the rider's fingers to operate a control lever, and the operating force is transmitted to the actuating component of the bicycle derailleur or to the actuating component of the brake device by a cable that is fixed to the control lever and to the actuating component.
Currently, many different types of control devices exist for performing shifting and braking operations. One example of such a control device is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0207375. That publication discloses a brake control device integrated with a shift control device. More specifically, a shift control unit is disposed inside of a base member of the brake control device, and a shift operating lever is disposed behind a brake operating lever. When the shift operating lever is pivoted laterally inwardly by a first stroke amount, a shift control wire releasing operation is performed. When the shift operating lever is pivoted in the same direction by a second stroke amount which is greater than the first stroke amount, a shift control wire pulling operation is performed. While the device can perform both wire releasing and wire pulling operations using a single shift operating lever, the close positioning of the shift operating lever and the brake operating lever can confuse some riders. This is especially true during competitive racing when the rider must operate the shift operating lever while simultaneously looking at the road and at other riders. In such situations, the rider may reach too far and may mistakenly attempt to push the brake operating lever laterally inwardly. Since the brake operating lever does not move laterally, the rider quickly becomes distracted when he or she realizes that a mistake has been made. The rider then must concentrate on adjusting his or her fingers around the brake operating lever and to the back of the brake lever to ensure that the fingers properly contact the shift operating lever. During this time, valuable concentration on the race is lost. Even worse, the distraction may cause the rider to miss a shift of otherwise cause the bicycle to slow down against the rider's intention and cause the rider to lose the race.